American Shrimp Processors Association Applauds International Trade Commission for Maintaining Antidumping Orders on Imported Shrimp

PORT ARTHUR, Texas — The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) voted today to maintain Antidumping Orders on unfairly traded imported shrimp from China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam. The vote was taken in connection with the Third Five Year Sunset Review on the shrimp antidumping orders. All five ITC Commissioners voted unanimously that the US shrimp industry would likely continue to suffer material injury if the antidumping orders were removed.

The US shrimp industry is a vital part of the social, cultural, and economic fabric of our nation, particularly in the Gulf Coast and South Atlantic communities where domestic shrimp is harvested and processed. ASPA President Trey Pearson praised the ITC result, stating that “decades of increasing imported shrimp volumes have created a race to the bottom on prices and decimated our market share. Today, the ITC provided us with a lifeline and incentive to continue the fight to allow this industry to survive in a fair competitive environment.”

The American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) has defended the antidumping orders for 15 years and continues to believe that trade relief is critical to survival. In a joint statement ASPA trade counsel Elizabeth Drake and Eddy Hayes noted that “the trade remedy system is crucial to our international trade legal framework. Antidumping duties provide important discipline on goods sold at less than fair value, and we thank the ITC Commissioners and staff for carefully considering the data and the impact of continued dumping on this important domestic industry.”

More information on the efforts of ASPA and its members can be accessed via www.americanshrimp.com.